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Smart House: It is so Easy!

Q-Domus.com's experts

Editorial Team

Domestic technology, the so-called domotics, is a science continuous growth. In a not too distant the day in which thanks to these innovations we will be able to have a window open or a light turned off simply by waving a hand or by speaking a word.

Home automation is changing our habits and it is definitely improving the quality of our life, allowing us to dedicate more time to the most precious thing we have: leisure! But as you will see, a smart house is not just a whim but a wit choice!

Home automation means first and foremost safety and comfort, energy, water, gas and electricity saving, thereby reducing wastes and costs. An investment for our future in the name of technological and sustainable progress, with a special care for the environment and an attention to our consumptions.

A home automation system must be able to manage household appliances in case of excessive energy absorption to avoid unnecessary power surges and blackouts. It must also be able to provide emergency power. As to lighting, home automation plays an important role on the quality and quantity of light, being able to manage the control under different environmental conditions.

If you think of investing a certain amount of money on this, buying a more complex device, than I would suggest you to download a home automation software. There are many free versions that you can find on the we. One of them is Free-emotihome, complete, simple and intuitive.

With this software you can control and manage all the automation based on KNX protocol: control and management of electrical loads, thermal regulation and multi-zone climate control, use of water, gas, electric, automatic blinds, internal and external curtains managing, security of the house (water sensors, gas, smoke), control of irrigation and pool, gates and garage door.

The software can be installed on one or more PCs and wall touch screen and can be customized according to your tastes thanks to Domus Manager, a utility that allows you to quickly and easily configure every aspect. The license is free and unlimited.

A Cheaper Solution

Nevertheless, most of us will never be able to afford a whole hyper-intelligent house, but we can surely start to enjoy a home automation lifestyle thanks to the recent and affordable inventions which are entering more and more houses all around the world.

And if you make do with something less elaborate, but still automated and amusing, then you can follow my example and try to make your low-cost smart house.

First of all you have to buy the automated energy controller device you prefer: DomiaLite, LightwaveRF, HomeEasy ByeByeStandBye, ARC Tech, Flamingo and Koppla or X10. Don't worry: they're not expensive at all! Many of these devices allow you to control your home online as well, thanks to a software.

What I really want to introduce to you is the chance to control it from anywhere just by using your iPhone, if you have one, of course!

If you are an Andorid fan you can buy the Android application iAutom8 by Tristan Phillips at the cheap price of about 10 pounds. You can easily download it from the Internet and install it on your iPhone, create a free account on the web page homeautom8.com. Finally, you need an RFXCom transmitter and that's it: now: you are able to control your home's devices even if you are at work just by using your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch!